Ceiling hanger



Dec. 4, 1962 D. J. VALSVIK 3,066,775

CEILING HANGER Filed July 14, 1958 INVENTOR. F fionald I UaZsvz'fi' W43 mat United States Patent Ofifice dfilfififllfa Patented Dec. 4, 1962 3,666,775 CEllLlNG HANGER Donald J. Vaisvik, St. Paul, Minn, assiguor to Wood Conversion Company, St. Paul, Minn, a corporation of Delaware Filed July 14, 1958, Ser. No. 748,293 Claims. (Cl. 189-88) The present invention relates generally to suspension strips or hangers for suspended ceilings, and in particular to one which may be mounted firmly on a non-level foundation to provide a level ceiling.

Frequently, old ceilings which are non-level are modernized by hanging a new ceiling from the old. "Where *"strip members are hung from the old foundation the conventional hangers follow the level of the foundation, unless special forms are provided.

The present invention aims to provided a strip form or hanger which in being mounted to a foundation is readily rigidly mounted at a fixed level regardless of a non-level foundation.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the hanger.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the hanger mounted on a foundation, showing suspended tile members of a new ceiling.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a clip on which the tile members hang.

in general, the hanger comprises a channel portion opening downwardly, with a channel bottom that is secured to a foundation by headed shaft-form fasteners entered through holes in the channel bottom. For rigidly mounting such channel, it has integral extensions in the form of resilient wings which are compressed in effect between the channel and the foundation, and variably compressed for a non-level foundation.

The channel and the wings are integral and the wings are extensions of inwardly directed portions of the side walls of the channel, which inwardly directed portions form two opposing recesses in which to mount a suspending clip.

The wings are in the form of integral reversely directed resilient portions of the hanger strip, and have their edges generally directed toward each other, and at a region removed from the channel bottom they are preferably spaced apart by a suflicient distance to allow for passage of mounting bolts between them. The wings are sufficiently widely looped to accommodate a maximum compression needed on a non-level foundation. The form of the resilient wings may vary, but the preferred form is shown in the drawings, wherein sheet metal is employed.

The numeral 16 represents a channel bottom symmetrical with a vertical reference plane designated 11 in dotted lines. In the bottom 11 centered in said plane, are holes 12 for receiving headed shaft-form fasteners, such as toggle bolt 13 in FIG. 2. The holes 12 are shown in upset portions 14 to accommodate the head 15 of the toggle.

The channel has side walls of which a generally vertical part 21 is extended at 21 and inwardly turned, providing opposingrecesses 22. The portions 21 are then reversely bent at 24, forming outwardly directed portions 25 which are continued back around the channel as resilient wings with edge portions generally directed toward each other and spaced apart substantially equidistant from the reference plane 11.

The form of the wings may vary, but the preferred form is arcuate in cross-section, with reversal in the region 26 and with end portions 27 having terminal edges 23.

In mounting such strips, for example, the toggle bolts 13 are entered in holes 30 in a foundation 31, which may be an old ceiling, with force variably to compress the wings along the length of the strip to secure a fixed level.

PEG. 3 shows a hanging clip designed to reside in the opposing recess 22. It is a sheet metal piece with ultimate vertical web 46, mounting ears 4'1 and 42, and tile-carrying ears 43 and 44, shown in FIG. 2 as entered in grooves in joined tiles 46 and 47.

In order to facilitate placing clips as desired in the channel for support, as shown in FIG. 2, there are provided openings at intervals along the strip, into which the clips may be inserted for sliding to ultimate hanging position. Such openings 49 are shown in FIG. 1 as recesses formed in the web sections 212425.

Although sheet metal may be easily deformed to provide the desired structure, the invention is not limited to sheet metal. Extruded plastic forms may be employed in which the wings are so formed as to have the desired resiliency, and the channel bottom and sides are so formed as to have the requisite strength.

It is to be understood that the strip shown in the drawings is subject to numerous changes and modifications without departing from the invention set forth in the accompanying claims.

1 claim:

1. An elongated hanger strip, comprising two reversely formed resilient wing portions on opposite sides of a center plane of reference, said wing portions having their edges generally directed toward each other and being esilient in the direction parallel to said plane, said wing portions being integral and being connected at another location across said plane by a channel portion opening away from said edges and having channel sides directed inwardly of the channel toward said plane to opposite locations each spaced from said plane and at said locations integrally connected to said Wing portions, the bottom of said channel portion being spaced inwardly of said wing portions and the said edges thereof and having holes for axial mounting means centered in said plane.

2. An elongated hanger strip, comprising two resilient wing portions in the form of opposing curved members on opposite sides of a center plane of reference, said members having their edges generally directed toward each other and being resilient in the direction parallel to said plane, said members being integral and being connected at another location across said plane by a channel portion opening away from said edges and having channel sides directed inwardly of the channel toward said plane to opposite locations each spaced from said plane and at said locations integrally connected to said wing portions, the bottom of said channel portion being spaced inwardly of said wing portions and the said. edges thereof and having holes for axial mounting means centered in said plane.

3. An elongated suspension strip suitable for securement toa ceiling foundation having non-planar irregularity comprising a channel portion to be mounted with its entire length at a fixed level along with similar adjacent strips to be secured to the same ceiling foundation, said channel portion having its channel sides extended inwardly of the channel and thereby forming opposing recesses for supporting a hanging member extending across the channel portion and within said opposing recesses, said extended channel sides beyond said recesses being reversely directed and extended laterally around the channel sides as resilient wings with terminal edges spaced away from the channel bottom and generally directed toward each other with an intervening space overlying the channel bottom, said channel portion having openings in its channel bottom alined with said space to receive headed shaft-form fasteners entering said holes from the channel'to pass through said space and c) to be adjustably secured to said ceiling foundation, the adjustment being variable axially of the fastener to efiFect mounting said channel form at said level, and to compress said wings between said ceiling foundation and said channel portion.

4. An elongated suspension strip suitable for securement to a ceiling foundation having non-planar irregularity comprising a channel portion to be mounted with its entire length at a fixed level along with similar adjacent strips to be secured to the same ceiling foundation, said channel portion having its channel sides extended inwardly of the channel and thereby forming opposing recesses for supporting a hanging member extending across the channel portion and within said opposing recesses, said extended channel sides beyond said recesses being reversely directed and extended laterally away from the channel sides and formed to extend in the reverse direction as resilient wings with terminal edges generally directed toward each other with an intervening space overlying the channel bottom, said channel portion having openings in its channel bottom alined with said space to receive headed shaft-form fasteners entering said holes from the channel to pass through said space and to be adjustably secured to said ceiling foundation, the adjustment eing variable axially of the fastener to efiect mounting said channel form at said level, and to compress said wings between said ceiling foundation and said channel portion.

5. An elongated suspension strip suitable for securement to a ceiling foundation having non-planar irregularity comprising a channel portion to be mounted with its entire length at a fixed level along with similar adjacent strips to be secured to the same ceiling foundation, said channel portion having its channel sides extended inwardly of the channel and thereby forming opposing recesses for supporting a hanging member extending across the channel portion and within said opposing recesses, said extended channel sides beyond said recesses being reversely directed and extended laterally away from the channel sides as resilient arcuate Wings with curvature extended to provide terminal edges generally directed toward each other with an intervening space overlying the channel bottom, said channel portion having openings in its channel bottom alined with said space to receive headed shaft-form fasteners entering said holes from the channel to pass through said space and to be adjustably secured to said ceiling foundation, the adjustment being' variable axially of the fastener to effect mounting said channel form at said level, and to compress said wings between said ceiling foundation and said channel portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 983,768 Kenny Nov. 2, 1909 1,015,484 Erickson Jan. 23, 1912 2,181,966 Dean Dec. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE "CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent Nos 3,066,775 December 4, 1962 Donald J, Valsvik It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 1 line l8 for "provided" read provide line 19 for "or" read of column 2, line 5 for "recess" read recesses column 4, line 26 for "983Y768" read 938,768 "a Signed and sealed this 19th day of March 1963,

(SEAL) Attest:

DAVID L. LADD ESTON G. JOHNSON Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

